'Nutcracker' comes to RussellvilleSince the hot summer months, dozens of area children have been preparing for this holiday season — not by making their Christmas wish lists, but with numerous dance rehearsals. Every other year, the Dance Foundation hosts a production of “The Nutcracker.” It’s a chance for local kids to be a part of a Christmas tradition and for the community at large to enjoy a beloved classic right here in the Arkansas River Valley. “The Nutcracker” was revi...

Mission works to meet holiday needsThis week, many families in the Arkansas River Valley will have the opportunity to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal, thanks to the Main Street Mission (MSM). Each year, the mission gathers items and hands out Thanksgiving food boxes to families in need. Director Marilyn Williamson said the mission took orders for the boxes for two weeks, and then busily began working to fill them. “We don’t have enough turkeys, so we’re not giving out tur...

A&P considers future of tourismAs the Russellville Advertising and Promotion (A&P) Commission prepared Thursday to vote to approve its 2012 budget, questions were raised as to what direction commissioners hope to see the organization move in the future. The commission’s total operating budget for 2012 is set at $285,000, slightly down from the 2011 budget of $290,000. A&P Executive Director Christie Graham said there will be only one refueling outage at Arkansas Nuclear One...

Arts Center hosts annual Holiday JubileeThe Arkansas River Valley Arts Center’s annual Holiday Jubilee is approaching quickly, but tickets are still available for those who wish to attend the Friday event. Each year, the Arts Center — which celebrated its 30th anniversary last month — hosts the event as one if its major fundraisers, but Executive Director Betty LaGrone said it’s also intended as a place for people to have a good time. “We want it to be a fun party as well as a fundr...

Cats cross county lines looking for homesFelines that were part of 100-plus cats rescued from a Faulkner County home in July are looking for new families — and some are traveling to Russellville to find them. Two cats are currently housed at the Russellville PetSmart, where they are awaiting adoption. Their journey has been quite a tale, indeed. In July, a “good samaritan” was flagged down along U.S. Highway 63 outside Conway by a man who said his wife had fallen and needed medical a...

Airport continues expansionsVisitors to the Russellville Regional Airport 10 years ago probably wouldn’t recognize the facility today, which has undergone extensive renovations in recent years — and those renovations are expected to continue. Currently, construction is underway to expand the aircraft parking ramp and rehabilitate pavement on existing portions of the ramp. Also included in the project is expansion of a roadway to allow vehicle traffic to the eastern hanga...

Volunteers 'get the bug'Service to others. Volunteers at River Valley Christian Clinic (RVCC) appear to have all caught the bug, and they claim it’s contagious. Don Guess, president of the RVCC board of directors, said volunteering at the clinic was an eye-opening experience to the human struggles going on around him every day. “Most folks in this community — and I was guilty, am guilty — 42 years I worked here, but I drove down the street with tunnel vision,” he sai...

City prepares for winter weatherTemperatures have dropped, and employees at Russellville’s Public Works Department are working ahead to ensure residents know the city’s road closure procedures before winter weather arrives. Procedures this winter will resemble what city crews have done in the past. “It’s pretty typical for what we’ve done in the past,” Operations Manager Junior Marpel said. The main areas that will be affected by weather-necessitated closures will be in the ...

Veterans honoredA Salute to Freedom Ceremony on Friday honoring women veterans and civilian women in the military and defense industry was particularly fitting on a day when flags across the state flew at half-staff in honor of Crossett native Army Specialist Sarina Butcher, who was killed in action earlier this month while on a re-supply mission in Afghanistan. The annual event followed Russellville’s Veterans Day parade — the largest in the state — and reco...

Community tiesA local folklorist hopes to unite the community together through The McElroy House, a place where the exploration of folklife, oral history, sustainability, community action and intercultural and intergenerational partnerships in Yell County and the Arkansas River Valley will make citizens come together as one. The McElroy House, named after founder Meredith Martin-Moats grandparents and located in downtown Dardanelle, will serve as a hub for ...

Relay for Life to host kickoff rallySix months ahead of the event itself, event organizers are preparing to launch the 2012 American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay for Life of Pope and Yell counties fundraising campaign. A kickoff rally will begin at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at First United Methodist Church. “The rally will feature speakers from the community who have benefited from the funds raised at Relay For Life and will honor cancer survivors,” a press release provided by event organ...

ANO to conduct evacuation time studyResidents may begin receiving calls asking questions about evacuation plans and procedures soon. The calls are part of a survey to be conducted beginning Nov. 14 by the Boston, Mass.-based First Market Research firm to gather data to be used by the local counties and the state in improving evacuation plans for both man-made and natural disasters. The survey will also be used by Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO) officials as part of its Evacuation Tim...

United Way still searching for community investment volunteersThe River Valley United Way continues to work on its 2012 community investment process and still needs Arkansas River Valley volunteers. “We had so few volunteer this year, that we are having to continue,” Beth Latham, executive director of the River Valley United Way, said. Latham said community investment volunteers are those that review various agency applications for funding, make site visits and then make the funding decisions on where ca...

Paint the River PurpleDARDANELLE — On Saturday, a local advocate group will host Paint the River Purple, the first pancreatic cancer awareness event in the state, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Riverfront Park on the banks of the Arkansas River. Ronda Khamsourivong, a member of the Pancreatic Warriors group, said the event was organized after she and others saw the effects of pancreatic cancer. “My grandma, she was diagnosed in 2009,” Khamsourivong sai...

Fire results in deathOfficials have confirmed the death of a Russellville man as a result of injuries sustained in an apartment fire last week. Russellville firefighters responded Oct. 27 to an apartment fire at Lakewood Estates, a two-story complex located at 803 S. Mobile Ave. Bradley Wilson, 38, suffered serious burns and was transported in critical condition to Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center then transferred to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Burn Cente...

Logan's River Walk a successThe second Logan’s River Walk, held Saturday at Dardanelle’s Veterans Memorial Park, was a bigger success than the first but still suffered from a poor scheduling choice, the event’s organizer Teri Collins-Kuras said Monday. Of 456 registered participants, between 325 and 350 attended the event. Last year’s event drew 233 participants. Collins-Kuras said participation of people with Down syndrome was up as well, with 25 walking this year compa...

Second Walgreens store to make its way into RussellvilleRussellville residents on the west side of town can anticipate a change in view at the corner of Joplin Avenue and West Main Street towards the end of 2012. Robert Elfinger, a spokesperson for Walgreens, said the company has plans to open up a second location on the west side of town. “It will be a 14,550 square feet store at the corner of Main and Joplin,” Elfinger said. “We hope to open it toward the end of 2012.” Currently sitting at the pr...

ATU students support local farmersCollege students and food — it’s a common combination, but some Arkansas Tech students are taking their relationship with what they eat to a whole new level. Recently, the university’s Anthropology Club began managing the Russellville Community Market (RCM), part of a growing trend where consumers shop online for products produced by local farmers. At RCM, shoppers can browse and select items via the market’s website, then pick up and pay for ...

Russellville looks to add to park systemThe city of Russellville is in the works to add to its 14 city parks. The city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are currently working toward a lease agreement of about 98 acres of Corps land commonly known as “Dike View.” Recreation and Parks Director Mack Hollis said the property is located between the Illinois Bayou Park and Shiloh Park, which are also on leased Corps land. He said the city plans to extend its Connect Russellville multi-...

Veteran's Day parade, Salute to Freedom set for Nov. 11 downtownA Veterans’ Day parade followed by the annual Salute to Freedom ceremony will take place Nov.11 in downtown Russellville. Jim Bob Humphrey, chairman of the Pope County Salute to Freedom Task Force, said the parade will begin at 4 p.m. at the intersection of West Main Street and South Jonesboro Avenue, and the annual Freedom Ceremony will follow at 5 p.m. at the Main Street Russellville stage. This year’s theme, Humphrey said, is “In Recognitio...